Prince George's first official photos

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Professional photographers question the lighting, focus and composition of the snaps

"They're not terrible," but they don't have royal grandeur, says one photographer

"You can still make it casual, but this is just casual and poor quality," says another

It's a classic family scene. The proud parents showing off their new baby in the garden. A doting grandpa snapping photographs.

Fine for Facebook or Instagram. But when the baby in question is the future British king, and the photos are the first official photos, it doesn't take long for the world to weigh in -- on their quality, no less.

Most seem to agree that Michael Middleton, father of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and granddad to Prince George of Cambridge, should leave royal photography to the professionals.

"They are lovely snaps for a grandfather to have taken. But in terms of the quality, they are not really what you want for such a historic picture" is the verdict of Eddie Mulholland, vice chairman of the British Press Photographers Association and a photographer for the Daily Telegraph.

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Most criticism zeroed in on the focus and the lighting -- always a challenge for amateur photographers not equipped with fancy flashes or reflectors.

Prince William and Catherine, the latter holding Prince George swaddled in a white blanket, are posed on the lawn of her parents' home in Berkshire with the sun behind them, a difficult shot to pull off.

"I guess the reason Kate's father chose backlight was to avoid bright sun on little George," speculates the Mirror's royal photographer, Kent Gavin.

He's happy to share some advice though. "Back-lighting is always a little tricky for the non-professionals but it does give a nice result. Photographing against the sun needs a fill-in flash. Another option would be to use an area in shade away from harsh light."

His other tip? "My professional view would be to see more of baby George."

'Babies, happy parents and dogs all bring smiles'

The inclusion of the family pets -- the Cambridges' cocker spaniel Lupo and the Middletons' golden retriever Tilly -- in some of the snaps also gets a mixed reception.

A reporter for The Times of London remarked that the official photographs came "in a choice of formats: with or without dogs."

Mulholland, of the Telegraph, was more scathing. "The photograph with the dogs is the worst. One of the dogs in the corner looks like a furry rug," he wrote.